Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026
iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 16 Pro Max: which should you buy?
The short answer
The iPhone 17 Pro Max leads on the screen and speed. The iPhone 16 Pro Max leads on battery life. We have no current UK price for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Comparing 2 phones
iPhone 17 Pro MaxOverall score 90/100
iPhone 16 Pro MaxOverall score 87/100
Differences in daily life
Battery and charging
Best: iPhone 16 Pro MaxThe iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted longer in published battery tests (web browsing: 22 h 39 min vs 15 h 19 min on the iPhone 17 Pro Max), so it should go longer between charges.
Screen
Best: iPhone 17 Pro MaxThe iPhone 17 Pro Max has the brighter screen (3,000 nits vs 2,000 nits on the iPhone 16 Pro Max), so it is easier to read in strong sunlight.
Camera
Depends on youThe iPhone 16 Pro Max's zoom lens reaches further (5x vs 4x on the iPhone 17 Pro Max), for closer shots of faraway subjects.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max's selfie camera has more megapixels (18 MP vs 12 MP on the iPhone 16 Pro Max), so selfies and video calls can look more detailed.
Speed
Best: iPhone 17 Pro MaxThe iPhone 17 Pro Max has more memory (12GB vs 8GB on the iPhone 16 Pro Max), which helps it keep more apps open at once.
Size and weight
EvenBoth have a similar size (163.4 × 78 mm and 163 × 77.6 mm) and a similar thickness (8.8 mm and 8.3 mm), close enough not to matter much day to day.
Still can't decide?
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Scores
| Score | iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 70 | 68 |
| Screen | 91 | 88 |
| Camera | 93 | 93 |
| Speed | 92 | 88 |
| Toughness | 95 | 92 |
| Connections and extras | 98 | 95 |
| Overall | 90 | 87 |
How these scores are made: Each score is calculated from the maker's published specs and benchmark results, using one fixed formula for every phone. We have not tested these phones in the hand. How we score phones
Specs side by side
Display
- Screen-to-body ratio
- 90.7 %91.4 %
- Display features
- Capacitive Touchscreen Dolby Vision HDR10 Multi-touch displayAlways-On Display Capacitive Touchscreen Dolby Vision HDR10 Multi-touch screen
- Max rated brightness
- 3000 nits2000 nits
- Screen protection
- Anti-reflective coating, Ceramic Shield 2 Glass, Mohs level 5Ceramic Shield Glass
Core Specifications
- Chipset
- Apple A19 ProApple A18 Pro
- CPU cores
- 56
- CPU max frequency
- 4260 MHz4040 MHz
- Microarchitecture
- 2x 4.26 GHz – Performance cores 4x 2.60 GHz – Efficiency cores2x 4.05 GHz – Performance cores 4x 2.2 GHz – Efficiency cores
- GPU
- Apple A19 Pro GPUApple A18 Pro GPU
- RAM
- 12GB8GB
- Storage
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Software
- Operating System
- iOS 26iOS 18.0, Upgradable to iOS 18.2
Main Camera
- Video Features
- 10-bit HDR, 3D (spatial) video/audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec10-bit HDR, 3D (spatial) video/audio, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, Stereo Sound Rec
- Lenses
- 48 MP , ƒ /1.6, 24 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.22 μm , 1/1.28" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 48 MP , ƒ /2.8, 100 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 0.7 μm , x4 optical zoom, 1/2.55" Sensor size - 3D sensor‑shift OIS - Dual-Pixel PDAF 48 MP , ƒ /2.2, 13 mm , 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm , 1/2.55" Sensor size - PDAF48 MP, ƒ/1.8, 24 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.22 μm, 1/1.28" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, ƒ/2.8, 120 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 1.12 μm, x5 optical zoom, 1/3.06" Sensor size - 3D sensor‑shift OIS - Dual-Pixel PDAF 48 MP, ƒ/2.2, 13 mm ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm - PDAF
Selfie camera
- Matrix
- 18 MP12 MP
- Lenses
- 18 MP , ƒ /1.9 ( Wide-angle ) - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF12 MP, ƒ/1.9, 23 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1/3.6" Sensor size - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF
- Video Features
- 3D (spatial) audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR, HDR, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec3D (spatial) audio, Dolby Vision HDR, Stereo Sound Rec
- Features
- Dolby Vision HDR High Dynamic Range (HDR)High Dynamic Range (HDR)
General
- Announced
- Tuesday, 09 September 2025Monday, 09 September 2024
- Released
- Friday, 19 September 2025Friday, 20 September 2024
Battery
- Capacity
- 4832 mAh4685 mAh
- Features
- MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 20 minutes (official specs),MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 30 minutes (official specs),
Battery Life Test
- Browsing
- 15:19 hh:mm22:39 hh:mm
- Video watching
- 8:29 hh:mm10:24 hh:mm
- Playing games
- 9:26 hh:mm12:04 hh:mm
Design
- Height
- 163.4 mm163 mm
- Width
- 78 mm77.6 mm
- Thickness
- 8.8 mm8.3 mm
- Weight
- 233 g227 g
- Resistance cert. meaning
- Dust and water-resistant (withstands high-pressure water jets; submersible up to 6m for 30 minutes)Dust and water-resistant (up to 6m for 30 minutes)
Network
- Network_5G bands
- 5G: n1 (2100), n2 (1900), n3 (1800), n5 (850), n7 (2600), n8 (900), n12 (700), n14 (700), n20 (800), n25 (1900), n26 (850), n28 (700), n29 (700), n30 (2300), n38 (2600), n40 (2300), n41 (2500), n48 (3500), n53 (2500), n66 (2100), n70 (2000), n71 (600), n75 (1500), n77 (3700), n78 (3500), n79 (4700), n258 (26000), n260 (39000), n261 (28000 MHz)5G: n1 (2100), n2 (1900), n3 (1800), n5 (850), n7 (2600), n8 (900), n12 (700), n14 (700), n20 (800), n25 (1900), n26 (850), n28 (700), n29 (700), n30 (2300), n38 (2600), n40 (2300), n41 (2500), n48 (3500), n53 (2500), n66 (2100), n70 (2000), n71 (600), n75 (1500), n76 (1500), n77 (3700), n78 (3500), n79 (4700), n258 (26000), n260 (39000), n261 (28000 MHz)
- Network_2G bands
- GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHzGSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHzCDMA: 800 / 1900 MHz
Connectivity
- Bluetooth support
- Yes, v6.0Yes, v5.3
- USB connectivity
- USB charging, USB Mass Storage device (UMS)USB charging, USB Mass storage device